Kings League MENA has appointed Saudi sports and media executive Wael Al-Fayez as Managing Director, ahead of the competition’s return to Riyadh for its expanded 2026 season.
Al-Fayez is the first executive to hold the Managing Director position at Kings League MENA. He will oversee the regional venture’s business and operations, including commercial strategy, partnerships and growth across the Middle East and North Africa.
He joins Kings League MENA from the Saudi Pro League, where he served as Chief Commercial Officer. Al-Fayez brings more than 20 years of experience across the sports, media, entertainment and technology sectors.
Kings League MENA is a joint venture between SURJ Sports Investment, a PIF company, and Kings League, the creator-led football competition founded by entrepreneur and former FC Barcelona and Spain defender Gerard Piqué.
The upcoming Split 1 season will feature 10 teams representing football markets and fan communities across the Arab world, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar. The expanded competition will run from September 18 to October 30, 2026, with matches once again taking place at Cool Arena on Riyadh Boulevard.
The league phase will begin on September 18 before moving into the knockout stages. The competition will conclude with the Final Four on October 30, with two semi-finals and the final played on the same day.
The season will be broadcast across the MENA region through MBC Group, including MBC Action and Shahid, while matches will also be available through free live streams on platforms including Kick, YouTube and TikTok.
The expanded season follows the launch of Kings League MENA’s inaugural Kings Cup MENA in 2025. The competition recorded online ticket queues of around 40,000 fans for an arena with approximately 1,300 seats, while its opening matchday attracted 2.2 million live-streaming viewers, making it the most-watched opening matchday in Kings League history.
Between July and December 2025, Kings League MENA recorded 717 million social media impressions and 16.5 million engagements.
The 2026 season will also feature Jordan internationals Yazan Al-Naimat and Ali Olwan, who recently joined the competition as co-presidents of 3BS and Red Zone respectively, alongside team presidents Absi and Maherco.
The appointment of Al-Fayez comes as Kings League MENA prepares to expand its team line-up and build on its initial regional audience, bringing football together with creator-led content, streaming and digital entertainment.
